Until recently every past prime minister was offered a Companion in the Order of Australia, the Order's highest honour.

Paul Keating famously refused it - reports from the time are summarised in Wikipedia here:

Retirement and later life[edit]

 In 1997, Keating declined appointment as a Companion of the Order of Australia, an honour which has been offered to all former Prime Ministers since the modern Australian Honours System was introduced in 1975.^[41]

The footnote takes us here 

http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/primeministers/keating/after-office.aspx

The NAA publication is a fair bit out of date - Kevin Rudd became a former PM in June 2010 (and again in 2013).    Gillard was rolled on 26 June 2013.   That's five years to mull over Rudd's first period of achievement as PM and 2 years for analysis post Gillard's possie.

I remember the hooha when Mr Keating knocked back the gong.   There appeared at the time to be some sort of convention that those who'd held Australia's top job should get the top honour.

John Howard was made a Companion in the Order in August 2008, 9 months after his November 2007 election loss.

Bob Hawke was made an AC in 1979 before he became Prime Minister.

The late Gough Whitlam was made a Companion of the Order of Australia in June 1978 on leaving the Parliament.

The late Malcolm Fraser was made a Companion in 1988.

The entire list of Companions is at the link below, replete with many state premiers as well as the former PMs.

https://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/awards/medals/companion_order_australia.cfm#recipients

Rudd and Gillard are notably absent.  I can't imagine either of them doing a Keating and knocking it back.  Each of them would have the draft citation in their back pocket - Rudd for services to the world and Gillard for calling out misogyny or something new agey.

Five years now to analyse Rudd's "outcomes"  first time round in the top job.   Two years post Gillard.   And still no blue ribbon to recognise their "achievements".

Like to take a stab at what would be in their nomination material?

ENDS

Here's an extract from The Australian today

Abbott nominated Rudd and Gillard for gong but just one got the gong

Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd were both nominated to receive Companions of the Order of Australia.

• The Australian
• 12:00AM January 28, 2017

• TROY BRAMSTON

  Senior writer

  Sydney

  @TroyBramston

  

  EAN HIGGINS

  Reporter

  Sydney

  @EanHiggins

  

Ms Gillard’s award came despite Mr Rudd being elected prime minister before her.

In 2014, as prime minister, Mr Abbott wrote two letters at the request of the Australian Honours and Awards Secretariat testifying to Mr Rudd’s and Ms Gillard’s suitability to be given the prestigious award.

The letters reflected Mr Abbott’s respect for the office of prime minister and were generous in recognising what his predecessors would identify as their achievements.

It is also understood he acknowledged that their service to Australia was of the highest degree, which the award symbolises.

The Weekend Australian can further reveal that Mr Abbott’s letter concerning Ms Gillard recognised the significance to the nation of her becoming the first female prime minister and her advocacy of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

His letter commending Mr Rudd for the honour praised his apology to the Stolen Generations of Aboriginal Australians in February 2008 and the unique circumstances of being prime minister on two separate occasions.

Mr Abbott also recognised the burden that his predecessors had of leading the nation while Australian Defence Force men and women were serving in Afghanistan, Australia’s longest war.

As part of the Australia Day honours list this week, Ms Gillard was made a Companion of the Order of Australia. But, controversially, Mr Rudd was not included. It is an unofficial tradition that the award be given speedily to former prime ministers.

A source in the Governor-Genera­l’s office said a perennial problem for the selection body that recommends nominees for honours was that nominations come from the general public, and not enough of them were for women. “There is that element of it,” the source said. “More women need to be nominated.”

ENDS

Tony Abbott how could you?